Sherlock has won a few awards in its time – not least a writing Bafta for Steven Moffat – but the show’s co-creator made it clear he knows what’s really important after hearing the news that the BBC1 series, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as the great detective, has topped the Radio Times poll of the best TV of 2012.

Advertisement

Moffat, also showrunner on Doctor Who, admitted that he and co-creator Mark Gatiss could never have imagined the extent of the show’s success when they first started writing it.

“Mark and I always thought this was our vanity project. The one we could get away with, because of everything else,” he said. “For it to become such a massive hit, with all the reviews and awards you could wish for, has been the best and the biggest surprise.”

And he paid tribute to the acting duo who make the show so special – and whose careers have received something of a boost from its success.

“Of course it’s all down to the astonishing cast led by those mighty film stars, Martin Freeman and Benedict Cumberbatch,” he said.

A grateful Moffat then promised to reward Radio Times for the prestigious honour by revealing the solution to the mystery which has obsessed fans since the cliffhanger final episode of series two – how Sherlock made his death-defying leap from the roof of St Bart’s hospital.

Advertisement

Responding via email, Moffat wrote: “I’ve just had a word with all the others, and we’re so pleased by this latest accolade from the Radio Times, we’ve decided to tell you how Sherlock survived the fall – oops, we’re out of space!”